Waste disposal plant  in Port Town to  become reality soon  

PARADIP:  The state-of-the-art waste management project, which has been stalled due to land dispute between Paradip Port Trust (PPT) and the State Government for the last nine years, will soon become a reality. On Wednesday, experts from the World Bank visited Paradip and held discussion with all stakeholders on expediting the `42 crore project under the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Programme (ICZMP).

The State Government in 2009 had decided to construct a solid waste management plant over 20 acres of land in Paradip after the port town witnessed rapid urbanisation and a rise in population. As the population went up, generation of solid waste increased tremendously in the port town. The huge volume of solid waste was disposed of at the dump yard on the town outskirts. This had led to resentment among people living in slums situated close to Bangalipada, the dumping yard.

To address the issue, the Government planned to come up with the modern waste management plant under ICZM.  However, the project ran into land hurdle due to a dispute between the Government and PPT authorities. While non-availability of land delayed the progress of the project, huge amount of untreated solid waste dumped in and around Paradip emerged as a major source of environment pollution and health hazard.

Earlier, Paradip Municipality had identified 20 acres of land at Bhitragada to set up the plant with a capacity to manage 50 tonnes of untreated waste. But now, the Municipality has selected five different locations at Kansaripatana near Sandhkuda, Nehrubangla, Bangalipada, Bhitragada and Santosi Nagar of PPL township where five plants will come up. Every day, 25 tonnes of solid waste will be treated at these five plants of five tonnes capacity each.

The World Bank team, led by Akash Sharma, visited the site at Bhitragada and expressed satisfaction over the spot selection. The team interacted with officials of the Municipality, PPT and port users for the successful implementation of the project. Public hearing for the plant at Bhitragada will be held on April 25, sources said. Executive Officer of Paradip Municipality Dillip Kumar Mohanty said decks have been cleared for the World Bank-funded solid waste management project in Paradip. “The project is of great significance for the developing industrial township,” he added.